Vault system for housing ice track

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates generally to a vault system for housing an ice track and, more particularly to a vault system that may provide an ice surface over the track of an indoor or outdoor ice arena and cover the track with a vault structure to reduce maintenance costs while enabling efficient operation regardless of season. For this, there is provided a vault system for housing an ice track in an arena that includes a track, wherein the track comprises cooling piping for forming an ice surface, and an isolation membrane for providing a skating space is installed over the track.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0061683, filed May 18, 2017, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a vault system for housing an ice track and, more particularly, to a vault system that may provide an ice surface over the track of an indoor or outdoor ice arena and cover the track with a vault structure to enable an inexpensive and efficient means of maintaining an ice surface.

Description of the Related Art

In recent times, a large number of indoor ice arenas for winter sports have been constructed.

Not only have the perceived prestige of and national interest towards winter sports been heightened by the ever-increasing records attained by athletes in international winter sports competitions, but also efforts to host various international competitions have led to the construction or expansion of indoor ice arenas used for ice sports.

To allow athletes to fully display their abilities at maximum condition while also providing comfort for the spectators in cold seasons, an indoor ice arena provides a heating system to keep the indoor temperature at around 10° C., which is a temperature corresponding to that of spring and autumn weather.

Since an increase in the indoor temperature of an indoor ice arena leads to a corresponding increase in the speed by which the ice of the ice surface melts, it is crucial to keep the ice surface at a subzero temperature (of about −2° C.) 365 days a year, so that the ice surface may be kept frozen hard in a state adequate for competitions.

If an indoor ice arena is maintained in this manner, the ice arena can be provided as a training ground for ice sport athletes even at times when there are no competitions held, allowing improved performance by the competitors.

However, maintaining the ice surface requires high costs, thus highlighting the problem of economic feasibility.

Of course, there is the method of maintaining an indoor ice arena only during the winter and closing the ice arena during other seasons, but this may not be a practical alternative, because reopening an indoor ice arena after a period of disuse incurs higher costs, and ice sport athletes would only be able to train in the winter time.

In particular, since the frequency in which an indoor ice arena is used is itself not very high, critics often voice their concerns regarding the utility of indoor ice arenas built with staggering construction costs, whereas no clear solutions have as yet been proposed.

Thus, there is a demand for an effective alternative that enables an efficient maintenance and increased usefulness of an indoor ice arena.

The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of the background of the present invention, and is not intended to mean that the present invention falls within the purview of the related art that is already known to those skilled in the art.

Documents of Related Art

[Document 1] Korean Patent No. 10-1553553

[Document 2] Korean Utility Model No. 20-0252023

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art, and the present invention is intended to propose a vault system for housing an ice track, wherein the track of an indoor ice arena is covered with a vault structure, so as to increase the efficiency of operating the arena by reducing the cost of maintaining the ice surface during off-seasons when there are no ice sport competitions held as well as to enable the use of the track of an existing outdoor arena as an ice sport training ground or winter sport facility.

In order to achieve the objective above, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vault system for operating an ice track in an arena that includes a track, wherein the track comprises cooling piping for forming an ice surface, and an isolation membrane for providing a skating space is installed over the track.

Here, the isolation membrane preferably includes a frame that provides a skeleton for forming a vault structure along the track; and a panel that is installed on the frame and is configured to suppress the inflow of outside air, when the inside and outside are designated with respect to the isolation membrane.

Here, the frame is preferably formed by air tubes, and a compressor is provided for injecting air into or discharging air out of the frame.

Preferably, an elevation hole is formed in a ground along an edge of the track, and a first motor unit is installed in the elevation hole and configured to raise and lower the frame through the elevation hole.

Also, a plurality of frames are preferably formed along a lengthwise direction of the track, parts of the frame are hinge-coupled to allow rotational movements for ventilating between the inside and the outside of the isolation membrane, a sensor is installed at the inside of the isolation membrane to measure the temperature and carbon dioxide concentration of the inside of the isolation membrane, and a second motor unit and a control unit are provided, the second motor unit configured to generate a force for enabling the rotational movement of a portion of the frame, and the control unit configured to control the cooling piping and the second motor unit according to the temperature and the carbon dioxide concentration of the inside of the isolation membrane detected by the sensor.

A vault system for housing an ice track according to an embodiment of the present invention provides the following advantageous effects.

Firstly, by installing an isolation membrane in the form of a vault over the track part of an indoor ice arena to isolate the track, the impact of the outdoor temperature can be minimized, so that the ice surface of the track may be maintained in an efficient manner.

That is, due to the composition of the isolation membrane formed as a vault structure over the track, the melting of the ice surface may be suppressed in accordance with the reduced influence of the outdoor temperature, so that the track of an indoor ice arena may be maintained with lower costs.

Secondly, an embodiment of the present invention allows a more efficient use of an indoor ice arena.

The inside of the isolation membrane covered over a track as described above may provide an indoor space for skating and may lower the cost of maintaining an indoor ice arena. Thus, the utility of the indoor ice arena may be maximized, as the ice arena may serve as a training ground for athletes and a sport facility for regular citizens after a competition is finished and in off seasons.

Thirdly, as an embodiment of the present invention may be applied to the tracks of not only indoor arenas dedicated to ice sports but also outdoor arenas, the utility of outdoor arenas may be increased.

That is, the turf part in the center of the arena may be used for various purposes, while cooling piping and the isolation membrane may be installed over the track part of the arena to provide an indoor ice facility for skating, so that the utility of the outdoor arena may be maximized.

Fourthly, by enabling a height adjustment of the isolation membrane, the isolation membrane may be prevented from obstructing the view of spectators even when applied to an outdoor arena.

That is, if a competition or an event were to be held in the center turf part of an outdoor arena, it would be possible to provide an unobstructed view for the spectators simply by lowering the height of the isolation membrane instead of dismantling the entire isolation membrane.

Accordingly, even with the isolation membrane installed, the isolation membrane may not affect spectator viewing of the competition or event.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale; emphasis has instead been placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor arena in which a vault system for housing an ice track according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is installed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of certain essential elements of a vault system for housing an ice track according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention where a panel is opened.

FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view illustrating the structure for raising and lowering a vault system for housing an ice track according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a vault system for housing an ice track according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention capable of opening a panel.

FIGS. 5A to 5C illustrate examples of different heights to which a vault system for housing an ice track according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention may be raised or lowered.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

The terms or words used in the specification and the scope of claims are not to be limited in their interpretation to common or dictionary definitions. The terms or words are to be interpreted to the meanings and concepts that agree with the technical spirit of the present invention, based on the principle that the inventor is permitted to suitably define terms to best describe the invention.

A description is provided below, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5C, of a vault system for housing an ice track (hereinafter referred to as a ‘vault system’) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

A vault system has the technological feature that a vault is placed over the track of an indoor ice arena, and in the case of an outdoor track arena, an ice surface for skating is provided along the track with a vault placed over such a track also.

Accordingly, for an indoor ice arena, the costs of maintaining the arena during off seasons or after competitions may be reduced, and for an outdoor track arena, the efficiency of utilizing the arena may be maximized, as the arena can be used for multiple purposes.

From between an indoor ice arena and an outdoor track arena, the present specification will use the outdoor track arena as an example, to aid the understanding of the reader.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, a vault system is composed of an isolation membrane 100, a motor unit 200, a sensor 300, and a control unit 400.

The isolation membrane 100 covers the track along the track of the arena and serves to suppress the inflow of outdoor air as much as possible.

Here, cooling pipes are installed along the track to provide an ice surface such as that of an indoor ice arena.

Also, along the perimeters of the track, elevation holes G are formed, which are excavated downwards in the ground.

An elevation hole G is formed in order that the isolation membrane 100 may be lowered into the ground, whereby the field of vision of the spectators may remain unobstructed when an event or competition is held in the center of the arena.

For instance, an arena such as that illustrated in FIG. 1 may have various events held in the center, and since the isolation membrane 100 is liable to obstruct the view of the spectators in the lower levels watching an event held in the center of the arena, the elevation holes G are used to lower the height of the isolation membrane 100 and avoid obstructing the view of the spectators.

The depth of the elevation holes G is not limited to specific values, and any depth to which the isolation membrane 100 may be lowered to provide an unobstructed view for the spectators is permissible.

Within an elevation hole G, a motor unit 200 is installed, which is configured to generate a force for raising and lowering the isolation membrane 100.

The isolation membrane 100 is installed along the track and is preferably composed of frames 110 and panels 120.

The frames 110 form the skeleton, i.e. framework, of the isolation membrane 100, and preferably, a multiple number of frames 110 are installed.

A frame 110 includes a main frame 111, which is shaped as an arc curving upwards from the ground and is installed in constant intervals along the track, and a reinforcement frame 112, which is installed on the main frame 111 along the lengthwise direction of the track to reinforce and support the main frame 111.

The main frames 111 correspond to the elevation holes G formed along the track.

Also, the panel 120 serves to isolate the track space for skating and is installed on the frame 110.

Although the frame 110 is not limited to specific materials, it is preferable to use a fabric material.

As for the panel 120, it is possible to use a vinyl material in order that the inside of the track may be visible from the outside of the track, and it is also possible to implement the panel 120 as a fabric material with only a portion or portions thereof implemented as vinyl.

It is preferable to install the isolation membrane 100 such that portions of the isolation membrane 100 are capable of opening and closing with respect to the frame 110.

This is to enable the ventilation of the skating space isolated by the isolation membrane 100.

That is, as the track for skating is isolated by the isolation membrane 100, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the skating space inside the isolation membrane 100 would be increased when the track is used by many people. Thus, the skating space may be ventilated by opening portions of the isolation membrane 100, so as to provide a comfortable interior environment.

To this end, one end of the panel 120 is hinge-coupled to the main frame 111, as illustrated in FIG. 2, such that a portion of the panel 120 is capable of opening and closing with respect to the main frame 111.

This feature of the panel 120 is not limited to a specific position and can be at an upper portion or a side portion of the isolation membrane 100.

Here, a motor unit 200 is installed at the one end of the panel 120 to rotate the hinge in a forward or reverse direction.

For convenience, a motor unit 200 that generates a force for raising and lowering the isolation membrane 100 is referred to as a first motor unit 210, while a motor unit that generates a force for opening and closing a portion of the panel 120 is referred to as a second motor unit 220.

Next, the motor unit 200 generates forces for raising and lowering the isolation membrane 100 or opening and closing portions of the panels 120 and, as described above, includes first motor units 210 and second motor units 220.

The first motor unit 210 serves to generate a force that raises or lowers the isolation membrane 100 to ensure an unobstructed view from the spectator seats installed outside the isolation membrane 100.

The first motor unit 210 lowers the isolation membrane 100 into the elevation holes G to adjust the height of the isolation membrane 100 and is preferably provided as a hydraulic cylinder as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Of course, the first motor unit 210 is not limited to a hydraulic cylinder and may be any device capable of raising and lowering the isolation membrane 100 along the elevation holes G while supporting the isolation membrane 100.

The first motor unit 210 is installed in an elevation hole G, and the piston of the first motor unit 210 is installed at the lower end of a main frame 111.

Accordingly, the isolation membrane 100 is normally supported by the hydraulic pressure of the first motor unit 210, and the height of the isolation membrane 100 is adjusted by the raising or lowering force of the first motor unit 210.

It is not necessary to install a first motor unit 210 at every main frame 111, and it is possible to install the first motor units 210 in certain intervals along the track.

Next, the sensor 300 serves to detect the interior environment of the isolation membrane 100 and is installed on the inside of the isolation membrane 100.

The sensor 300 is for providing a comfortable environment inside the isolation membrane 100 and includes a CO₂ sensor 310 for detecting the concentration of carbon dioxide within the isolation membrane 100 and a temperature sensor 320 for detecting the temperature within the isolation membrane 100.

Next, the control unit 400 serves to control the environment inside the isolation membrane 100 based on the detection results of the sensor 300.

The control unit 400 serves to ventilate the inside of the isolation membrane 100 by controlling the second motor unit 220 to rotate the panel 120, based on the concentration of carbon dioxide concentration measured by the CO₂ sensor 310, and serves to prevent degradations in the quality of the ice by controlling the cooling pipes, based on the temperature inside the isolation membrane 100 measured by the temperature sensor 320.

Although it is not illustrated in the drawings, it is also possible to install an air purification module within the isolation membrane 100 so as to prevent drops in air quality inside the isolation membrane 100 by operating the air purification module rather than by rotating the panel 120.

This would allow unhindered use of the track even in rainy weather.

A description is provided below of ways of utilizing a vault system for housing an ice track having the composition described above.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, an isolation membrane 100 is installed along the track of an outdoor track arena, and an ice surface for skating is installed over the track inside the isolation membrane 100.

The ice surface may be maintained 365 days regardless of season to be used by regular citizens for everyday sports activities or by ice sport athletes for training.

There may be cases where outdoor track arenas are not utilized at all after its construction, for example during off seasons, through which times maintenance costs are still incurred. Thus, by using the vault system as above, the utility of outdoor track arenas may be maximized.

When the center of an outdoor track arena is to be used for a competition or as an event ground, the view from the spectator seats may be obstructed, as illustrated in FIG. 5A.

Here, the first motor units 210 are activated to lower the pistons of the hydraulic cylinders.

Accordingly, the isolation membrane 100 is lowered into the elevation holes G, as seen in FIGS. 5B and 5C, to provide a sufficient view from the spectator seats.

Of course, if the center of the arena is utilized as above, then the skating space within the isolation membrane 100 would not be utilized.

Afterwards, when the use of the center of the arena is finished, the isolation membrane 100 may be raised from the elevation holes G by using the hydraulic cylinders 210, so that the track inside the isolation membrane 100 may be used immediately as an ice rink.

The above presents a technical composition for raising and lowering the isolation membrane 100 by way of hydraulic cylinders 210 to provide an unobstructed view from the spectator seats as described above.

Although it is not illustrated in the drawings, it is also possible to implement the frame 110 with air tubes instead of using the hydraulic cylinders 210 above in providing an unobstructed view from the spectator seats.

That is, a compressor may be used to inject air into or discharge air out of thet air tubes forming the skeleton of the isolation membrane 100, whereby the isolation membrane 100 may form the vault structure to provide an interior ice rink, or the structure of the isolation membrane 100 may subside to provide the unobstructed view from the spectator seats.

A vault system for housing an ice track according to certain embodiments of the present invention set forth above provides an ice surface over the track of an indoor ice arena or an outdoor track arena, where the track is covered with a vault structure to suppress the inflow of outside air.

The resulting advantageous effect offered for an indoor ice arena is that the ice rink may be maintained with low costs, while the advantageous effect offered for an outdoor track arena is that the arena can be utilized for multiple purposes, allowing maximized utility of the arena.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A vault system for housing an ice track in an arena including a track, wherein the track comprises cooling piping for forming an ice surface, and an isolation membrane is installed over the track, the isolation membrane providing a skating space.
 2. The vault system for housing an ice track according to claim 1, wherein the isolation membrane comprises: a frame providing a skeleton for forming a vault structure along the track; and a panel installed on the frame, the panel configured to suppress an inflow of outside air with respect to an inside and outside of the isolation membrane.
 3. The vault system for housing an ice track according to claim 2, wherein the frame is formed by air tubes, and a compressor is provided for injecting air into or discharging air out of the frame.
 4. The vault system for housing an ice track according to claim 2, wherein an elevation hole is foiled in a ground along an edge of the track, and a first motor unit is installed in the elevation hole, the first motor unit configured to elevate the frame through the elevation hole.
 5. The vault system for housing an ice track according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of frames are formed along a lengthwise direction of the track, a portion of the frame is hinge-coupled to allow a rotational movement for ventilating between the inside and the outside of the isolation membrane, a sensor is installed at the inside of the isolation membrane, the sensor configured to measure a temperature and a carbon dioxide concentration of the inside of the isolation membrane, and a second motor unit and a control unit are provided, the second motor unit configured to generate a force for enabling the rotational movement of a portion of the frame, the control unit configured to control the cooling piping and the second motor unit according the temperature and the carbon dioxide concentration of the inside of the isolation membrane detected by the sensor.
 6. The vault system for housing an ice track according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of frames are formed along a lengthwise direction of the track, a portion of the frame is hinge-coupled to allow a rotational movement for ventilating between the inside and the outside of the isolation membrane, a sensor is installed at the inside of the isolation membrane, the sensor configured to measure a temperature and a carbon dioxide concentration of the inside of the isolation membrane, and a second motor unit and a control unit are provided, the second motor unit configured to generate a force for enabling the rotational movement of a portion of the frame, the control unit configured to control the cooling piping and the second motor unit according the temperature and the carbon dioxide concentration of the inside of the isolation membrane detected by the sensor.
 7. A vault system for housing a track in an arena, the vault system comprising: an isolation membrane installed over the track, the isolation membrane suppressing an inflow of outside air with respect to an inside and outside of the isolation membrane.
 8. The vault system according to claim 7, wherein the isolation membrane comprises: frames for providing a skeleton for forming a vault structure along the track; and panels installed on the frame, the panels configured to suppress the inflow of outside air.
 9. The vault system according to claim 7, wherein the frames are formed by air tubes, and a compressor is provided for injecting air into and discharging air out of the frames.
 10. The vault system according to claim 7, wherein elevation holes are formed in a ground along edges of the track, and motor units installed in the elevation holes generate force for raising and lowering the frames through the elevation holes.
 11. The vault system according to claim 10, wherein the motor units comprise hydraulic cylinders, and the isolation membrane is supported by hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic cylinders.
 12. The vault system according to claim 7, wherein the panels are hinge-coupled to the frames, allowing rotational movement of the panels for providing ventilation.
 13. The vault system according to claim 12, further comprising motor units for generating force for enabling the rotational movement of the panels.
 14. The vault system according to claim 7, further comprising sensors configured to detect aspects of an interior environment of the isolation membrane and a control unit for controlling the environment based on detection results of the sensors.
 15. The vault system according to claim 14, wherein the control unit controls the environment by opening portions of the isolation membrane to provide ventilation based on carbon dioxide concentrations detected by the sensors, controlling cooling pipes for forming an ice surface on the track based on temperatures detected by the sensors, and/or operating an air purification module.
 16. The vault system according to claim 7, wherein the arena is an outdoor arena or an indoor arena.
 17. A method of operation of a vault system for housing a track in an arena, the method comprising: an isolation membrane installed over the track suppressing an inflow of outside air with respect to an inside and outside of the isolation membrane.
 18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising adjusting a vertical height of the isolation membrane to provide visibility to a center portion of the arena.
 19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising opening portions of the isolation membrane to provide ventilation based on detected carbon dioxide concentrations inside of the isolation membrane.
 20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising controlling cooling pipes for forming an ice surface of the track inside of the isolation membrane based on detected temperatures inside of the isolation membrane. 